Nervana Headphones: The Future of Music Listening [Exclusive Interview]

You’ve probably heard about the new headphones coming out this summer that get you “high”. Incase you haven’t, here’s a quick overview. They work by sending an electrical pulse to the vagus nerve in the brain. The stimulation of the nerve leaves listeners feeling relaxed, happy, and calm by releasing a combination of serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. All three of these neurotransmitters are the brain’s normal response to “feeling good”. And the best part? They’re natural, safe, and chemical free.

Upon first reading about these ingenious headphones I thought it was too good to be true. RaverRafting then reached out to Nervana and talked on the phone with one of the co-founders, Dr.Daniel Cartledge. After talking with this pain physican based in Florida for about 20 minutes, I can tell you his intentions are pure and Nervana’s team is one to watch. For those of you who have a yearning to understand these headphones better, check out our interview below!

“We’re using science to recreate that sensation you get when something enjoyable happens in your life.” -Dr.Daniel Cartledge (Photo credit ExperienceNervana.com)

Question: Does overusing the headphones decrease the effects they produce?

Dr.Cartledge: It actually appears to be the opposite. After awhile it seems your nerve get sensitized and actually responds faster and more intensely. The nerve can’t be overstimulated, there is a max out point for everyone that could be different depending on the person.

Question: How do you know they work? Is there a placebo effect?

Dr.Cartledge: We’ve tried it on so many people, and including people that were really skeptical of it, and they commented on how they didn’t expect it and were so surprised when it started working. As a pain physician I definitely think placebo effect is real, but there is a placebo effect in a lot of things in life. Vagal nerve stimulation has been tested for over 30 years so there is a real science to back this up. There’s been a lot of testing and the testing has been statistically significant. So that can really rule out the placebo factor that is present in any study.

Question: You’ve used a product called UltraCortex to try and monitor the brain activity? What did these results produce?

Dr.Cartledge: Yes, we did do a study with that and it definitely did show an increase in stimulation. I’m not an EEG (electroencephalogram) expert, but the guys from the company were definitely impressed. They definitely saw changes on the EEG helmet that was used.

Question: Do the headphones only release serotonin in the brain? Are there other neurotransmitters being released?

Dr.Cartledge: We believe they’re releasing a mix of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin. There’s no way to actually measure the neurotransmitters in the brain without inserting a special probe into the brain. There’s been a lot of vagal nerve stimulation studies using MRI’s that actually show parts of the brain illuminating during stimulation. These are the parts of the brain that release these neural transmitters.

Question: Are there any feelings of sadness or perhaps an opposite effect produced when the serotonin stops being released and wares off?

Dr.Cartledge: It’s really not, it’s the same sensation you get when you have a happy moment. For example, if you eat a piece of delicious chocolate cake, neurotransmitters are being released in the brain. When that moment goes away you don’t feel sad or depressed. It’s just gently massaging your body’s neurotransmitters.

Question: What does Nervana come equipped with?

Dr.Cartledge: There are three options for using this device.-Plug in whatever music you want to listen to in iTunes or on your playlists and it will sync up to Nervana.-Ambient Mode is for people who want to attend a concert or festival. Nervana is equipped with a microphone that will pick up ambient music and convert the signal.-Silent Mode is for people that want to experience the effects without music. They can switch on silent mode and it has a pre-set algorithm.-There’s also a sensitivity gauge that allows you to control the strength of the signal. For example, with softer music you might want a lower signal.

Question: What possibilities do you see for Nervana in the future with regards to clubbing, festivals, and even depression?

Dr.Cartledge: We’re currently in the process of organizing several studies to investigate all these things. We’ve been talking to physicians and research scientists that are dying to do studies with them. Not in regards to our product until we’ve completed studies, but vagal nerve stimulation has been used in the past to treat PTSD, depression, and even obesity. I also think Nervana is fantastic for music festivals because everyone that’s wearing Nervana gets exactly the signal at exactly the same time. There’s a unifying factor there, so it would work great for festivals.

Question: How has Nervana been received by the music industry so far?

Dr.Cartledge: We’ve actually been getting tons of emails, calls, and messages from people and artists in the music industry. A lot of DJs and artists are asking us if they can perform a set or perform their music at a certain venue and have everyone equipped with Nervana. Everyone would receive the exact same signal. The EDM crowd in particular has been loving it. With the people who have tested it, they’ve said they can really feel the beat through their left ear and vibrate throughout their body. And we’re also going to have a booth set up this year for WMC and Ultra Music Festival.

Question: The headphones are obviously impressive for the effects they produce, but how is the overall sound quality of them?

Dr.Cartledge: The sound quality is definitely good. When we were testing the headphones at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), we talked to a lot of audio guys on exactly what the best speaker company is in order to ensure good quality. We don’t want to compromise with just vagal nerve stimulation, this has to be a top quality device on every level.

Question: Where did the inspiration for these headphones come from?

Dr.Cartledge: I’m an interventional pain physician, I’ve been using electricity to treat my chronic pain patients. I used spinal chord stimulators which helped for treating chronic low back pain. I started doing a treatment that involved single nerve stimulation with a needle placed at certain points in the ear in the oraphyl to help treat their pain. A lot of my patients noticed that this not only helped treat their pain, but it also relaxed them, removed anxiety, and just made them feel generally better. I then got together with my brother who is a physician and at one point we both thought how amazing it would be if we could synchronize this to music. Each song that is played will have a unique single directly to the vagus nerve. That’s generally where the inspiration came from, but there’s been a lot of research on vagal nerve stimulation and it increases the neural transmitors, fielding chemicals in the brain. We really got a fantastic response at the show we had in Vegas. We won a lifestyle award there so it created a lot of buzz.

Special thanks to Dr.Cartledge for speaking to us and to the Nervana team for making an awesome product! Nervana went live only days ago on Indiegogo with an explosive campaign. In less than 24 hours the company reported to have exceeded their fundraising goal by more than 250%. The headphones have racked up over 1,000 supporters on Indiegogo, raising over $270,000. The 40 day campaign continues with a special $279 pre-sale price.